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Moving stock length front springs foreward?

TruckNutzDude

TruckNutzDude

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I was looking at my rig from my computer window thinking of things I could start doing to it when I have time. I was going to move the shackle foreward on the frame for a better angle to give me more droop and a better ride. I thought about going with a set of 52" springs but I just bought my BDS 6"ers and they seem fine for my style of wheeling. I'm looking for more wheelbase, a longer front driveshaft and better approach angle. Moving the stock sized springs to the end of the frame (where you would relocate for 52" springs) seemed like a good way of acomplishing all of that. Has this ever been done before with good results? I figure the worst that can happen is I dont like it and swap to 52's but my spring mount will already be in the right location. :D
What do you think? :o
 
Seems like it would move pretty far forward. I would think fender trimming and crossover steering would be necessary, but :dunno:
 
Blue85 said:
Seems like it would move pretty far forward. I would think fender trimming and crossover steering would be necessary, but :dunno:
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I have trimmed a LOT of fender already and still rub the firewall/floor with my tires. I have cross over and hydraulic assist already too. :woot:
 
TTT

Thinking of going w/ some 52's or 56's but still entertaining this idea since it's free/cheap
 
Use coils and mount them in the front of the frame and your tires can be way forward.:D
You could aslo move the shackel to the front and mount it to the farthest to the front they can go then have them angle forward and let the front of your leaf stick out a bit this all combined will give you a better approch angle and for the mount for the back??leave the stock shackel where it is and when you get the axel set just right! Weld the shackel to the frame and BINGO you have a solid mount for the back of the spring then make new longer shackels for the front.:weld: :hack:
 
fordtruggy said:
Use coils and mount them in the front of the frame and your tires can be way forward.:D
You could aslo move the shackel to the front and mount it to the farthest to the front they can go then have them angle forward and let the front of your leaf stick out a bit this all combined will give you a better approch angle and for the mount for the back??leave the stock shackel where it is and when you get the axel set just right! Weld the shackel to the frame and BINGO you have a solid mount for the back of the spring then make new longer shackels for the front.:weld: :hack:
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You're trying to say I should move my shackle to the front of the frame like a Jeep/Ford? Why would I ruin a perfectly good setup that half of my Jeep buddies paid to have added to their rigs? The stock shackle location is on the correct end of the spring, I'm just looking for a better angle from it. As far as moving my springs, I just want to move them to the other side of the body mount like the 52" spring conversion requires. Coils are out of my "freebie" budget but would be an awesome upgrade. I really didn't understand your response but thanks for trying to help... :crazy:
 
Sorry! But from your answer you did get the jist of what i was trying to say.And remember on a old ford with a front shackel the spring arch was up not doun so a negitive arch spring with a front shackel will feel the same as a positive arch spring with a rear shackel.And yes i like my rear mounted shackel also.And I have never done a chevy 52 swap on a chevy just ford so i dunno what you mean (other side of boddy mount)i ASSUME you mean moove the shackel further forward on the frame?Wright?

FYI I traded my local junk yard my spare stock 56 inch rear ford springs straight across for a set of chevy 52s. He said if all else failed the 56s had more weight and were worth more as scrap. Your project may include 52s and still be free!!!
 
leave the shackle where it belongs. putting it on the front of the spring makes it more vulnerable to damage, and also makes the truck ride like crap. with the stock Chevy setup, when you hit a bump in the road the front axle will move rearward slightly and help absorb the impact. put the shackle in the front, and solid mount the rear of the spring, and when you hit a bump the spring wont be able to compress as efficiently, and will cause a harsh ride.
 
:rolleyes:
beater_k20 said:
leave the shackle where it belongs. putting it on the front of the spring makes it more vulnerable to damage, and also makes the truck ride like crap. with the stock Chevy setup, when you hit a bump in the road the front axle will move rearward slightly and help absorb the impact. put the shackle in the front, and solid mount the rear of the spring, and when you hit a bump the spring wont be able to compress as efficiently, and will cause a harsh ride.
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I plan on leaving the shackle where it is but moving the mounting point slightly for a better angle. I am planning on moving the springs foreward on the frame about 3"-4" to stretch my wheelbase. I don't want to go to a longer spring simply because I have these springs and have just invested in new bushings, these also have a lifetime warranty (being BDS springs) I was wondering if anyone had moved their springs foreward and if they had trouble with the shackle mount being too far up on the frame.

It's a simple question ( I think) maybe I need to draw a picture?
 
TruckNutzDude said:
I was wondering if anyone had moved their springs forward and if they had trouble with the shackle mount being too far up on the frame.
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Moving the shackle forward requires (much) longer shackles to keep the springs from hitting the frame. You will need to consider shackle angle, pinion angle, and frame clearance when choosing the length (and location) of your shackles.
 
That's exactly what I'm concerned about. I've done some measuring and it seems like it would work. I know others have had luck with moving the shackle up and foreward on the frame while leaving the springs in the stock location. I was wondering if the same could be done but move the springs foreward to really S T R E T C H the wheelbase... I even wanted to add a zero rate and move it another 1.5" foreward :grin:
 
Sounds like you've thought it through. I say go for it. Should work fine. I'm curious how far forward you can go before your crossover hits something.
 
I like the idea of a shorter spring up front since I have 44" tires and the lifted springs I have now are 49" approx. eye to eye I'll get almost 90* approach angle out of leaf springs if I move them to the end of the frame. That's not too shabby if you ask me. I just want to know if someone else has done it and how it worked before I tear up my rig and start drilling new holes for the shackle mount. It's hard to go back once you hack... :hack:
 
If you're not certain about keeping the design, I suggest installing an extra set of "L" brackets and leaving the original in place. That's what I did. It makes going back much easier. No harm done.

Sometimes you just don't know how it will work until you mock it up and see what it looks like. Often, theory and reality are not the same thing.
 
Mostly I'm worried about re-drilling the mounting holes for the shackle bushing in the frame. I wonder how far up it would end up and how long the shackle would be. As it is my angle is terrible and could use a 4" move, if I move the springs 4" foreward the bushing mount has to move 8" to get a decent angle. Every inch I move the shackle foreward it moves up and every inch it moves up my shackle has to get longer. This is the flaw in my idea and the only way I can think of to over come it is to mount the shackle bushing in a mount similar to the rear springs and use a rear spring shackle in the front. That would effectively lower my mounting point and allow me infinite movement of the shackle along the frame.

I hate how a simple idea snowballs into a huge mechanical brain fart...
 
I know what you mean but who wants to start a project then go back? I say just start cuttin and dont stop til youyr done.I had a few mid project delimas when doing my SAS on my ford but I just kept going and eventually it got done.
 
What he's suggestion is nothing like your set-up. I don't see the correlation. Try to imagine your shackle 12" forward and the problems that would create.

IMO it's not worth the trouble. I would rather use 52 or 56. You would save a lot of work and have a better suspension in the end. Why don't you sell your springs and buy a set of 52 or 56 4" lift BDS rears? Remove a leaf, or two to adjust ride height. Use a zero-rate for even more wheelbase. You'd be way ahead and succesfully stretch your wheelbase
 
I would think that keeping my spring eye in the same spot and moving the shackel mount several inches forward yet having a shackel long enough to make up the difference would gain a lot af droop....?No matter the angel. Wright?? someone said it wright;;When did such a simple thing become such a brain fart??
 
fordtruggy said:
would gain a lot af droop....?
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Yes, a long, laid-back shackle will get you lots of droop. But, at what cost to the pinion angle. Too much...... and snap! That's one of problems associated with a shackle in the rear. When it's in the front (like a Jeep) it actually helps the pinion angle as it droops. IMO, too much droop is not necessarily a good thing. A super-long shackle will also create sloppy steering.
 
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